How to Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows

Q: How to tell if what version of Windows I have?

You can check the Windows version you're using by pressing Win + R to open the Run dialog, then type winver and press Enter. A small window will pop up and inform you whether you have a Pro/Home or Enterprise Windows version.

Windows Group Policy Editor is a very helpful and powerful tool that enables every Windows user to manage their administrative policy settings via a simple user interface. However, this tool is only enabled in Pro, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions of Windows. In this guide, we demonstrate how to enable Group Policy Editor in Windows if you’re using a Home edition.

Good to know: Seeing the “This installation is forbidden by system policy” error on your system? Try our list of fixes.

Content

What is Group Policy Editor
Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows with CMD
Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows Using a System File
Enable Group Policy Editor with Batch File
Run SFC to Prevent GPEdit from Being Unsearchable
Fixing the "MMC Cannot Create a Snap-in" Error Message
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Group Policy Editor

Group Policy Editor is a policy management tool for Windows users to configure and modify different policy settings for a computer or multiple computers over a network. Windows users regularly employ it to tweak several settings. For instance, you can use it to block applications on Windows or manage how they work in the foreground or the background.

Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows with CMD

On Windows Home editions, the Group Policy Editor (aka “gpedit”) will not appear at all when you search for it using Windows Search. Fortunately, you can enable it via Command Prompt.

Although the “gpedit.msc” isn’t available in Windows Home versions, other gpedit-related files exist in the system files. We just need to properly download those and install the “gpedit.msc” file.

Run the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by launching Windows Search by pressing Win + S and typing CMD.

Running Command Prompt as administrator from Search.

Enter the following code and press Enter. This code aims to grab the required package from Microsoft.

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

After the first code is executed, add the following code and press Enter. Windows will load the required files, and the Group Policy Editor will appear when you search for it.

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

Windows downloading group policy file via Command Prompt.

Tip: Believe your every move is being watched? Here’s how you can detect keyloggers on Windows.

Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows Using a System File

You can easily enable the Windows Group Policy Editor by downloading a simple file that applies the required settings to your device through the CMD. This method is similar to the previous one, except you won’t need to enter the code yourself.

Download the GPEdit.zip file from GitHub. Do this by opening the link, clicking “Code,” and selecting “Download ZIP.”

Extract the .ZIP. You should be able to find the gpedit-enabler batch (.BAT) file in the resulting folder.

Right-click the .BAT file and select “Run as Administrator.” Then the Command Prompt will pop up and apply the required settings.

That’s all there is to do. From this point forward, you can use the Group Policy Editor on your PC.

Enable Group Policy Editor with Batch File

If you don’t want to download an external file, you can create the batch file yourself and use it to activate the Group Policy Editor.

Type Notepad in Windows Search.

Copy the next text to the file, and make sure to paste it by pressing Ctrl + Alt + V to remove any formatting.

@echo off
 
pushd "%~dp0"
 
dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~3*.mum >List.txt
 
dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~3*.mum >>List.txt
 
for /f %%i in ('findstr /i . List.txt 2^>nul') do dism /online /norestart /add-package:"%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\%%i"
 
pause

Notepad with code for .BAT file pasted in.

Click “File -> Save As” and name the file “GPEdit.bat” to save it as a batch file.

Locate the newly-created file and right-click it, then select “Run as Administrator.”

The CMD will open and start applying the edits.

FYI: unable to do a System Restore? Here’s what you can do about it.

Run SFC to Prevent GPEdit from Being Unsearchable

In some cases, even after activating the Group Policy Editor, the utility still appears unsearchable or shows an error when launched. This typically happens due to corrupt or missing system files. We’ll use the built-in System File Checker (SFC) tool to let Windows fix and replace those files.

Open the Command Prompt as we showed you above.
Type sfc /scannow then press Enter.

Waif for the scan to complete and try again.

Fixing the “MMC Cannot Create a Snap-in” Error Message

In some cases, you may receive MMC (Microsoft Management Console) snap-in errors once you start “gpedit.msc.” This can happen to Windows Pro and Enterprise as well, which makes it a common problem. To fix this problem, follow the next steps:

Open the Notepad as outlined earlier and copy the next code, then save it as “x86.bat.”

@echo off
echo x86
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll
icacls %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll
icacls %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll
icacls %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
echo.
echo.
 
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll
icacls %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll
icacls %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
 
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK
takeown /f %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK*
icacls %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK* /grant:r "%username%":f
 
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll copy %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\gpedit.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll copy %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\fde.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll copy %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\gptext.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll copy %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\appmgr.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll copy %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\fdeploy.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.msc copy %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.msc %WinDir%\System32\GPBAK\gpedit.msc
 
copy gpedit.dll %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll
copy fde.dll %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll
copy gptext.dll %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll
copy appmgr.dll %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll
copy fdeploy.dll %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll
copy gpedit.msc %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.msc
 
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\adm\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\adm
 
copy system.adm %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\Adm\system.adm
copy inetres.adm %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\Adm\inetres.adm
copy conf.adm %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\Adm\conf.adm
copy wmplayer.adm %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\Adm\wmplayer.adm
copy wuau.adm %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy\Adm\wuau.adm
 
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\System32\gpedit.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\System32\fde.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\System32\gptext.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\System32\appmgr.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\System32\fdeploy.dll

Create another file and name it “x64.bat,” and copy the next code to it.

@echo off
echo x64
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll<br>icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll<br>icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll
icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
echo.
echo.
 
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll
icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll
icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll /grant:r "%username%":f
 
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK
takeown /f %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK*
icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK* /grant:r "%username%":f
 
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\gpedit.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\fde.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\gptext.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\appmgr.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\fdeploy.dll
IF EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.msc copy %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.msc %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GPBAK\gpedit.msc
 
copy gpedit.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll
copy fde.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll
copy gptext.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll
copy appmgr.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll
copy fdeploy.dll %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll
copy gpedit.msc %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.msc
 
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy
IF NOT EXIST %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\adm\NUL MKDIR %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\adm
 
copy system.adm %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\Adm\system.adm
copy inetres.adm %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\Adm\inetres.adm
copy conf.adm %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\Adm\conf.adm
copy wmplayer.adm %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\Adm\wmplayer.adm
copy wuau.adm %WinDir%\SysWOW64\GroupPolicy\Adm\wuau.adm
 
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fde.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gptext.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\SysWOW64\appmgr.dll
regsvr32 /s %WinDir%\SysWOW64\fdeploy.dll

Copy the two .BAT files in this directory: “C:\Windows\Temp\gpedit.”

Right-click each one of them and select “Run as Administrator.”

From this point forward, you should be able to use the Group Policy Editor like any other Windows user.

Good to know: learn how to change the administrator on Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my Group Policy Editor changes not taking effect?

If you’ve noticed this, the first solution is to restart your PC. Additionally, you can enter the command gpupdate /force in the Command Prompt to force your Windows PC to instantly reflect the updates, you made to the Group Policy Editor.

How to reset Group Policy Editor on Windows?

There are several ways to reset Group Policy Editor on Windows; the most straightforward one is to open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to “Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> All Settings” and double-clicking on the required policy and change it to “Not Configured.” Then, restart your PC.

How to tell if what version of Windows I have?

You can check the Windows version you’re using by pressing Win + R to open the Run dialog, then type winver and press Enter. A small window will pop up and inform you whether you have a Pro/Home or Enterprise Windows version.

All screenshots and images by Mustafa Ashour.

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Mustafa Ashour

Mustafa is a tech content writer who's a geek at heart. His passion lies in writing about technology, especially software-related topics. He's also interested in digital marketing, business development, and entrepreneurship. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance.